Much has been made about how hard it is to earn Aaron Rodgers' trust as a rookie wide receiver. And I wouldn't dispute it because the history is there. But Romeo Doubs just earned eight targets in his third game with Rodgers, which seems like a pretty good indicator that he's making progress in the area of trust. The fact that he caught all eight targets doesn't hurt anything, either. It might be time to start looking more at what the future could hold for this rookie and less at what the past cautions.
Doubs did not top a 60% snap share in Week 1 or Week 2, but in Week 3 with Sammy Watkins and Christian Watson out, Doubs played 89% of the snaps and produced 21.3 PPR Fantasy points. Allen Lazard is his only real competition for WR1 on this roster and Lazard's start to 2022 looks suspiciously similar to his 2021 with a low target volume and a high touchdown rate. Through three weeks, it's hard to argue that Doubs isn't in the driver's seat if he keeps progressing as he has. Watson is the only other receiver who could supplant him, but Watson's done nothing to earn the trust Doubs has.
So what could a Doubs season look like if he holds on to this role? I believe eight targets a game is a fine projection for the Green Bay WR1 rest of season, which looks something like five or six catches for 60 to 70 yards on a weekly basis. That's a low-end WR3 without a score and a mid-range WR2 with a score. It's definitely a must-roster wide receiver. And that's well short of the upside of the role on a weekly basis.
Must-roster is a great way to describe Doubs. Must-start is not, at least not in Week 4. The Packers face a good Patriots defense that is paired with a pretty awful Patriots offense. There may not be much volume from the Packers' passing game and Doubs' role as WR1 is still very much speculative. But if he leads the team in targets again, I'll be very interested in starting him in Week 5 against the Giants.
Here is the rest of the Week 4 WR Preview:
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Volume alone makes Dorth start-worthy in a full PPR league until Rondale Moore or DeAndre Hopkins returns. The Panthers just gave up 327 yards receiving to the Saints receivers and Dortch is the pretty clear WR2 in Arizona right now.
Tom Brady doesn't have an offensive line that will continually allow him to wait for Mike Evans and Julio Jones to get downfield. Until Chris Godwin returns, Gage should work underneath and catch five-plus passes per game.
If you can stash him, Jones would be my second-favorite wide receiver to add. I'd just like to avoid the Week 4 matchup against the Eagles. If someone else adds him and then drops him after a poor showing in Week 4, be prepared to pounce. Trevor Lawrence is making a leap and Jones is a huge part of this passing game.
Kadarius Toney and Wan'Dale Robinson should both be stashed if you can find a spot. Sterling Shepard's injury leaves a huge void and Kenny Golladay doesn't look capable of cashing in. Toney and Robinson are the most talented receivers on the roster but have to get healthy and earn playing time. Brian Daboll is not going to hand it to them.
Courtland Sutton is dominating targets and defensive backs alike. His 291 receiving yards rank fifth in the NFL, but he and Chris Olave are the only receivers in the top 20 without a touchdown. If Sutton starts scoring at a rate we'd expect, he could be a top five wide receiver.
You can take your pick between Cooks and D.J. Moore. Both have a 20-point PPR game coming in the near future and neither will be rostered in more than five percent of lineups. Cooks is my favorite.
